Satellite Tagged Turtles Head Out

by Sea Turtle Intern Rachel Polvadore

It’s mid-July and Sea Turtle patrols by the Conservancy interns are in full swing. However, this week is a little different. This week Wendy Cluse, Assistant Sea Turtle Biologist for the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission, has come to the island in hopes of satellite tagging four nesting loggerheads. Everyone at the Conservancy is looking forward to seeing this unique process. The Bald Head Island Conservancy is the only organization in North Carolina to regularly sponsor satellite tagging. This year four turtles will be tagged on Bald Head, two sponsored by the Conservancy and two sponsored by the Newport Aquarium. The interns load up the UTV’s and prepare for another night of patrol, eager to take part in such an event. Finally around three in the morning, tracks are spotted. The interns approach the nesting turtle and begin their routine: checking for and applying flipper and PIT tags (like the chips implanted into your pet dog), taking measurements, and placing a protective cage around the nest. As the turtle returns to the water, the interns quickly place a box around her to hold her in place for the satellite tagging. Under Wendy’s guidance, they begin removing the barnacles and algae from her shell and use sand paper to create a smooth surface for the tag. After cleaning her shell, a harmless glue is used to attach the satellite tag to the turtle. Once the glue dries, boat paint is applied to prevent the growth of barnacles on the tag. Finally, the box is removed and a tickle of the flipper sends her on her way back into the ocean.

Satellite tagging allows us to track the movements of sea turtles in open waters. This provides researchers with valuable information about the behavior of sea turtles and can show the influences of pollution and shipping routes on the turtle’s movement. It also provides important insights into the feeding sources throughout the loggerhead’s range. Transmissions from the tag continue for about a year. After a year, the tag may fall off, be covered with barnacles—blocking the signal, or just run out of batteries. The satellite tags are expensive at $5,000 each and donations help fund this project. One exciting way to support this project is to buy the rights to name one of the tagged turtles. The names chosen for this years turtles are “Billie” and “Thompson Plourde”.